So a while back, when I was a relatively new blogger, I wrote a post about the truth behind what it's really like to be from Maryland, and in doing so, I gave sarcastic answers to some bizarre and annoying questions that have actually come my way while I've been at school.Before you continue...if you haven't read the article, here it is.I'll have you know that the responses from that post were so incredibly overwhelming that I did not sleep for two days. I had to set my comments to "private" so that I could actually read through each and every one. Most of the comments and Facebook shares were from complete strangers, all over the country. 140 of those comments are posted on the blog, but over 200 were submitted. That post alone received 13,000+ views in one day and 7,000+ views the following day. I learned a few things from this:1) When you write how youthink, not just what you hope other people will enjoy, you're going to get a rise out of people; and I say that with both a positive and a negative connotation. It's awesome. I can unequivocally credit my overall blog success to that one post -- all because I spoke my mind.2) Maryland pride is soooo much stronger than people realize. After reading through hundreds of comments from people in literally every region of the United States, I can say that even I was shocked to learn how many Marylanders all over the place really do love and miss their home state. It was incredibly comforting.And on that note...I wanted to continue the conversation, since it seemed to be something that a lot of you enjoyed discussing with me. If you don't know me, I'll tell you that I just returned from a 5-week study abroad trip in Cape Town, South Africa. On my last day of class, we were given an assignment to further interpret certain passages that we'd read in class over the duration of the trip. My group was assigned to a reading that began with this quote:"The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one's own country as a foreign land." --G.K. ChestertonOne of the passages in this particular reading was titled "You Can't Go Home Again." Obviously, this can be interpreted in many ways. But this was how I responded to the assignment...What I gained in Africa, amongst other things, was to be as wholesome and as worldly as possible. Yes, moving to a different region of the United States for college absolutely counts, but going across the world helped me understand this on a much wider, more global scale. I learned the obvious: I was especially grateful for my food, water, shelter, clothing, and educational opportunities when I was spending time in the townships. But that's not what I'm talking about.I'm talking about the meaning of "returning to your country as if it's a foreign land." What does that mean? How could your home country, the place that has shaped you and cultured you and taught you everything that you know to be "true" -- feel foreign?Well, this is how I see it: by living in another culture on another continent, I learned to make the most of my time there, just as anyone would on any vacation. At the beginning of a trip, most people make a checklist of everything they want to accomplish while they're there. Sound familiar? "I want to see this touristy building. I want to climb this mountain. I want to eat at this restaurant. I want to get a picture in front of this landmark even though I don't understand its historical significance" {Or maybe you do. That's not the point.} The point is that when we travel, we learn to make the most of our time. We start checking off that list and making the most of that culture, that geography, the ambiance of a place in general. After acquiring this mindset, why, then, do we return home as if we know it all? What about the restaurants at home you've never been to, the local foods and the famous eateries. What about the trails you've never hiked, the monuments you've never seen, the museums you've never stepped foot in, the shops you've never explored. What about the annual parades, festivals, celebrations of any kind. How well do you really know your state? There's got to be something you've never done there.I challenge you this: Adopt the mindset of a traveler in your very own state. Make a list of anything you've never done, right where you are, and go do it. I'll be the first to admit -- I live very close to Washington D.C., and do I take advantage of all that it has to offer? Absolutely not. However, if I visited like a tourist, I would get much more out of my day trip.Amber {my roommate} and I did this in our college town. We made a list of everything we haven't done in Oxford, and we have been in the process of tackling it for a few months now. Whenever I'm in Maryland, which isn't often, I do the same thing.It's important to me to represent my state with pride, and I can only do that well if I know it as well as possible! The feeling of home and everything I'm comfortable with there is something that can never be taken away from me, and I wouldn't want that, but I also wouldn't want to waste everything my home state has to offer. So, I vow to live like a traveler and have an open mind wherever I am, no matter how well I "know" the place.A friend of mine from high school is an AMAZING artist and has an Etsy shop that all of you Marylanders out there should check out. She moved to Arizona and studied in Paris, so I'm sure she can completely relate to the questions that people have asked me, and all of us, about our tiny little state that holds so much love.

Whether you're buying one of Amy's awesome watercolors or exploring your state to the fullest, I hope you'll take a little piece of Maryland with you wherever you are!Here's to all the Marylanders that moved away but still remember where they came from. Amy says, "Because you can take the kid out of Maryland, but you can't take the Maryland out of the kid."xoxo,Anna